China’s top ports near Shanghai have suspended operations ahead of the powerful typhoon “Dolphin,” which is expected to sweep the country’s eastern coasts on Sunday. As a Bloomberg report notes, among the facilities that have ceased operations are Ningbo, Changjiangkou, and Zhoushan, which is the country’s largest ship refueling hub.
Based on shipping data, authorities are currently allowing departures so that vessels can manage to anchor offshore at a safe distance from port infrastructure. As early as August 3, the Maritime Safety Administration of Jiangsu Province banned vessel entry into the Yangtze River, with the port of Zhoushan remaining closed since then. Meanwhile, services controlling navigation around the northern oil import terminals—such as Rizhao, Yantai, and Dalian—have called on vessels to avoid sailing southward.
Typhoon “Dolphin,” located near Okinawa, Japan, is heading toward the Chinese city of Wenzhou. China’s meteorological service forecasts wind gusts reaching 151 km/h, an intensity corresponding to a Category 1 cyclone. Torrential rainfall is expected in coastal areas, with rainfall in Zhejiang Province estimated to reach 550 millimeters within 24 hours, before the extreme weather event moves inland.
Fearing disasters, Zhejiang’s maritime authorities raised the alarm, suspending all 162 passenger-vehicle ferry routes in the province, while 474 construction vessels were moved in time to safe shelters.
